20221: Severe: disjointed reply to RE: 20123: (Simidor) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Constantin Severe <csevere@hotmail.com>

Dear Group,
         It's more than obvious at this point that the US gov't was involved
up to its neck in Aristide's departure. In the interests of full disclosure
a few months back on this list, I said the U.S would work to get Aristide
and the opposition to agree to some sort of compromise because it would not
want Haiti to be a source of problems(read: lots of black people on boats on
their way to Florida)  during the 2004 campaign. From the US perspective
Aristide while a pain in the ass was better than chaos. My prediction was
quite wrong because I assumed the US had some sort of rational policy
concerning Haiti.
       If this administration's previous modus operandi when it comes to
reconstruction and peacekeeping(Iraq, Afghanistan) is any indication it is
going to try do as little as possible for maximum credit. The apparent US
agenda for Haiti(liberal application of band aids) is not anywhere
sufficient for all the help the country needs. I say apparent because I have
yet to discern what the US wants or stands to accomplish in Haiti besides
being rid of Aristide. If anything good is to come from all of this degats
it is going to be by the Haitian political class getting its act together
and agree to some goals for the new gov't that all sides can agree to.
        If past history is any guide that won't happen and the US will stay
just long enough to mess up things even further and we will be back having
this conversation again in five years.

                                                         Constantin

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